Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
From the "stop me if you've heard this one before" department, a Vatican official has been caught in a gay sex scandal:
The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.
And in related news, a publicly anti-gay legislator in California gets caught drunk driving -- after leaving a gay bar.
The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets.The Sacramento County district attorney says Ashburn's blood-alcohol level was .14 percent when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving near the Capitol.
Ashburn, a father of four, is a Republican Senator representing parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino Counties, with a history of opposing gay rights.
Balko places the blame where it obviously belongs:
So a day after Washington, D.C. and Mexico City legalize gay marriage, both a Vatican official and an anti-gay California legislator have been caught in high-profile gay sex scandals. Does anyone honestly believe this is mere coincidence?
Clearly the creeping acceptance of gay marriage is driving otherwise straight men directly into the arms of other men. Just as gay marriage opponents predicted would happen! So please. Think of the Stanley Kurtzes of the world. It's damned time we stopped gay marriage, before another vigorously, outspokenly, Pet Shop Boys-loathing hetero man is driven . . . er . . . to his knees.
Politics
Comments
The "Pet Shop Boys-loathing" bit was a nice touch. Made me laugh.
The vatican scandal is outrageous on several levels. They sacked this guy, not sure what the reasons given were, but they still continue to harbor criminal fugitives who diddle children?
Posted by: FastLane | March 9, 2010 9:28 AM
"Vatican Sex Scandal" should have the same status as "The Pope is Catholic" and "Bears shit in the woods." It should come as a shock to no one that an institution that corrupt is, well, corrupt.
Posted by: Wes | March 9, 2010 9:30 AM
And I read just yesterday that the Pope's brother, also a priest, is embroiled in some aspect of a sexual abuse scandal involving a boys' choir he led in Germany. Like a good World War II era German, however, the brother disclaims any knowledge of anything untoward happening while he was involved, although apparently the people abused as children have somewhat different memories of what was going on. To me, the brother's comments about the need for extreme discipline among choir members seemed pretty odd. I've thought for a long time the Catholic hierarchy's fanatical opposition to birth control was little more than an attempt to continue to create a target-rich environment for their proclivities and/or those of their associates.
Posted by: RAM | March 9, 2010 9:41 AM
Maybe there ought to be something like term limits for religion, say 500 years. After that, you fold up the tents and everybody finds a new sky fairy to worship. Oh, and everyone in authority at the old religion self-immolates.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 9, 2010 9:43 AM
Ashburn of California came clean and might actually do a little soul searching. Any chance of the Vatican doing that? Not a chance. "Souls? We don't need no stinking souls!"
Posted by: Reverend Rodney | March 9, 2010 9:48 AM
Re Reverend Rodney
Attached is a link to Mr. Ashburn coming out of the closet. His excuse for backing anti-gay legislation is that he was merely representing his constituents' wishes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ashburn9-2010mar09,0,5423366.story
Posted by: SLC | March 9, 2010 9:56 AM
Two questions:
1) What, exactly, does a "Gentleman of His Holiness" do?
...and...
2) Do I really want to know the answer to question #1 above?
And what's this about "negotiating...over the specific physical details?" With a VATICAN CHORISTER?!! Are the choristers in charge of keeping track of which male prostitutes have which specific desirable physical traits, and which are available on a given evening?
Tha tapes of such negotiation would make a FABULOUS first scene for a totally ridiculous gay-porn movie...
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 9, 2010 10:07 AM
RAM: Where did you read that? Got a link?
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 9, 2010 10:09 AM
Ashburn is a lying prick.
Self-loathing and dishonesty are his core drives. His actions are what stocks were made for.
As for the church scandals, the church will continue to be pounded until they realize just how hard it is to deny the basic nature of human beings. Celibacy doesn't work. Birth control does. Women are human beings too. There are so many issues where the church is wrong and continues to cling to 2000 year old goatherd pronouncements. Adapt or die. I vote for die.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 9, 2010 10:11 AM
http://digitalcuttlefish.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-just-love-good-vatican-scandal.html
Posted by: Cuttlefish | March 9, 2010 10:28 AM
I read the article mentioned by RAM above in the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/07/world/AP-EU-Vatican-Germany-Church-Abuse.html?scp=2&sq=ratzinger&st=cse
Posted by: stillwaggon | March 9, 2010 10:30 AM
So, the Vatican and Ashburn are psychic, and started doing terrible things because they knew that eventually gay marriage would become legal in some random cities around the world at about the same time that they psychically knew they would get caught.
Posted by: catgirl | March 9, 2010 10:32 AM
Ummm Freudian slip?
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 9, 2010 10:40 AM
Catgirl,
OMG, Gay Marriage can time travel!! If we allow gay marriage, it will travel back to the begining of civilization and we will never have been born!!!
Posted by: Drekab | March 9, 2010 10:44 AM
dogmeatib
Just having fun!
Posted by: MikeMa | March 9, 2010 10:44 AM
I have no doubt that a certain contingent of the anti-gay marriage crowd believes precisely that (indeed, they sort of already do, what with their reconstructionist histories of the Roman and Greek empires). They're already granting SSM incredible powers, such as the ability to weaken the bonds of allegedly healthy heterosexual marriages, drive allegedly straight men into uncontrollable frenzies of man-on-man action, and actually destroy civilization as we know it.
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | March 9, 2010 10:57 AM
I've heard some interesting rationalizations and defenses over the years.
Lint from the swimming trunks was clogging the pool filters.
He had a groin sprain and I was giving him an athletic massage. My hand accidentally brushed up against his genitals.
I forgot that the high school girl who cleans comes in on Thursdays, so I didn't shut my bedroom door.
It was a biology lesson and one of the students had a question. I only asked him to pull down his pants so that I could show the other boys what I was talking about.
I could go on, but you get the idea. I heard every one these with my own ears, straight from abusers' mouths.
Posted by: Dr X | March 9, 2010 11:04 AM
stillwagon: thanks for the citation. All I can say right now is, if "the other Ratz" really DIDN'T KNOW about the alleged abuse, then why is he so quick to offer up the standard excuses for abuse -- not to mention the standard attacks on the sccusers' motives?
Seriously, he didn't know of any activity that "could be punished" (like his knowledge of choir activities stops where punishability starts?); but he does admit there was "discipline and rigor;" but he insists they were all like a family; and he's already seeing "animosity toward the church" in the accusations. Yo, Ratz, if you don't know whether the accusatins are true, how can you be sure they're motivated by "animosity toward the church?"
This piece of pond-scum may not be guilty, but he's sure as Hell ACTING guilty.
Oh, and I loved the last bit about how the press was curious about the alleged incidents, but the Pope wasn't.
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 9, 2010 11:31 AM
Posted by: Uncle Glenny | March 9, 2010 12:47 PM
Uncle Glenny,
If they were so illumined you'd think they'd have had Hawaii call the damned thing a birth certificate instead of a certificate of live birth.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 9, 2010 1:41 PM
Ragin' Bee @ 8:
To add to what Cuttlefish and Stillwaggon already added, here's another link at Huff Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/georg-ratzinger-popes-bro_n_489857.html
Posted by: RAM | March 9, 2010 1:46 PM
Not helping the Church in their cover-up is their definition of "animosity toward the church".
Posted by: Chris From Europe | March 9, 2010 2:30 PM
Oh look, RAM, the Church is on the case already: they're bravely kicking a kid out of preschool in Oregon 'cause his parents are lezbos:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/06/catholic-school-boots-stu_n_488122.html
That'll fix everything up with the Vatican Chorister/Pimp scandal...
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 9, 2010 2:49 PM
I take offense to Balko's characterization. I have always liked the Pet Shop Boys and I'm as straight as the blade of a... hockey stick.
Never mind.
/me goes back to the bisexual ghetto
Posted by: Brian X | March 9, 2010 3:55 PM
It appears that at least for those who have not come "out of the confessional" about their sexual orientation, the Catholic Church actually has much to offer:job security owing to the shortage of priests, a rewarding ministry of helping those in need, and the benefit of meeting other like-minded men eager to extend the "right hand of fellowship." Of course, some people do look askance at the hypocrisy.
Posted by: secular square | March 9, 2010 6:06 PM
Sgt. Schultz was also quoted: "I know nothing, nothing"
Posted by: natural cynic | March 9, 2010 6:36 PM
Thanks for the Super Bonus Post, Ed. It was three, three, three times the laughter. And rueful head shaking cubed, too.
After read this and following the links I suddenly heard the voice of Burl Ives singing a song from my childhood that included this musical question:
Posted by: Crudely Wrott | March 9, 2010 6:40 PM
@1
"They sacked this guy, not sure what the reasons given were..."
as in t-bagged?
Posted by: MartyM | March 9, 2010 7:04 PM
“Family Values” California state senator representing Kern County, Republican Roy Ashburn (guess how he votes on gay issues?), goes to a gay bar near the Capital, picks up a scantily clad buddy, gets drunk, drives and receives a DUI. In my opinion the Republican Party has been taken over small portions of the republican party of “birthers, baggers and blowhards” (people who love to push their beliefs on others while trying to take away rights of those they just hate) and that’s who they need to extract from their party if they real want to win. Good Luck, because as they said in WACO, “We Ain’t Coming Out”. They are good at “Follow the Leader”. They listen to their dullard leaders Beck, Hedgecock, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rush and Savage and the rest of the Blowhards. The world is complicated and most republicans (Hamiliton, Lincoln, Roosevelt) believe that we should use government a little to increase social mobility, now its about dancing around the claim that government is the problem. The sainted Reagan passed the biggest tax increase in American history and as a result federal employment increased, but facts are lost when mired in mysticism and superstition. Although most republicans are trying to distant themselves from this fringe they have a long way to go. I guess Ashburn is the first on the list “2010 Republican Summer of Love”. Remember last year list of “2009 Republican Summer of Love”: state assemblyman, Michael D. Duvall (CA), Senator John Ensign (NV), Senator Paul Stanley (TN), Governor Mark Stanford (SC), SC Board of Ed Chair, Kristin Maguire (AKA Bridget Keeney). Do I hear Tammy Wynette, “Stand By Your Man” playing in the background? I remember not so long ago that other Orange County song favorite, “Stand By Your Tan” (for Tan Nguyen). But that’s another Orange County fool.
Posted by: Montana | March 9, 2010 7:35 PM
I see a vision of a GOP convention.
The hall is alive with suit clad conservatives, red, white and blue banners, patriotic music and chanting. The PA breaks into the music and announces that another state has legalized gay marriage. Everything stops and the crows searches each others eyes. Then, slowly at first, the lights start to dim, a heavy disco beat swells , mirrored balls are illuminated, Armani suit fall to the floor.
Thirty seconds later it is all leather and studs, gyrating, oiled bodies rubbing against each other and no holds barred.
For the GOP there is a tipping point. When crossed they will no longer be able to resist their latent homosexual tendencies and the requirements of good civil order and public decorum will be chaff in the wind of their repressed sexuality. It will be hot oil, cock sucking and rump humping wall-to-wall. There and forever more.
Posted by: Art | March 9, 2010 8:27 PM
Ragin' Bee @ 23:
Well as Col. Chivington helpfully explained as he oversaw the massacre of Native American kids at Sand Creek, "Nits make lice." Apparently, the Catholic school officials figure there's just too much chance of that little kid growing up to be gay--because it's parents are gay. My question is why anyone would send their kids to a parochial school in the first place, especially gay families. Then again, I'm philosophically opposed to private grade and high schools of any kind; I think they're a threat to our form of government. It's a position my wife gives me lots of grief on, but we all have our little crosses to bear. Or apparently in the Catholic Church's case, our crosses to bare.
Posted by: RAM | March 9, 2010 10:12 PM
The legalization of gay marriages is just an excuse for this. The problem here is not this one, but everyone is too afraid or too judgemental to see the truth behind this story.
Posted by: homosexual | March 10, 2010 6:20 AM
lol I appreciate your viewpoint. I didnt completely read the excerpts before me, but Im sure youve received your share of point and anti-point collaboration. As it stands, I dont believe the acceptance of gay marriage has much do to with these men beside the fact its allowed them a small opening. For example, homosexuality has been documented since the dawn of literature. Since people could write its been known that like sexes have been attracted to one another, in all sorts of species. So to say its because of a newly found law is unadulterated preposterousness. These men, along with thousands, millions, of others, have hidden due to the lack of public acceptance for their sexual preferences. People are beaten. Killed. Prosecuted. Simply because they like the same sex. Why not allow bygones to be bygones. Has one, even one, homosexual person looked at (any one reading this) and scoffed, or made a derogatory statement to your sexual preference? Doubts arise... My whole case here is that its wholly unrealistic to attempt to stop people from doing what (or who) they want. If the actions of these individuals bother you, then none other has said it best, in the words of Kerry King, "... if you dont like it, look the other way. Every one has that option."
Posted by: Kory | May 28, 2010 4:16 AM