Conservative Babylon

STOP THE PRESSES! Make sure to read the follow-up entry, “Blockbuster Lawsuit Over Marcus Lamb’s Adulterous Affair: Is This the End of the Daystar Empire?,” as soon as you finish reading this one. Things have taken some very interesting turns!

This oily-looking character with the satanic goatee is Marcus Lamb…

…an American televangelist, minister and Christian broadcaster. He also is co-founder, president, and CEO of the Daystar Television Network … the second largest Christian Network in the world.

…who went catting around on his wife, and when the poop hit the fan, went public, ‘fessing up to an extramarital affair he had some years ago — for which he’s now being praised by fellow christianists as some sort of persecuted victim, instead of a lying adulterer who couldn’t keep his trousers zipped: (more…)

See main entry for Eddie Long

See all entries for Eddie Long

Christa Brown at Stop Baptist Predators clues us in on Gospel Today’s “biblical” puff piece about accused down-low mega-church Daddy Eddie Long: (more…)

See all entries for John Ensign

…Sen. John Ensign, the Republican Senator from Nevada … has been embroiled in a controversy for over a year now stemming from an extra-marital affair he with a staffer and a subsequent effort to keep it quiet.

Since the story broke, the Religious Right has had next to nothing to say about Ensign’s infidelity, with the small exception of FRC’s Tony Perkins saying it was “disappointing.” But I suspect that that is about to change if this report from Greg Sargent turns out to be true…

Read the rest at Religious Right Watch.

Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Accused: Kevin Joseph Boyd, Sr., senior pastor, The Apostolic Church, Jackson, Mississippi, and CEO, Presiding Bishop & Prelate of The Church of the Apostolic Faith International, Inc., of coercing one Darrell Lodge, “a young male church member into a sexual relationship while serving as his spiritual adviser and bishop.” Lodge’s civil suit (with allegations similar to those “leveled against Atlanta mega-church pastor Bishop” Eddie Long “by four young men”) claims Boyd “has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as bishop over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship,” and that the pastor “would discuss the holy scripture to justify and support the sexual activity.” Lodge’s lawyer “said his client’s interaction with Boyd began at age 12.” Rod 2.0 notes: “The Apostolic Church is a fundamentalist, charismatic branch of the Pentecostal movement that views homosexuality as sinful. The churches are overwhelming hostile to gays and gay rights, but have a long history in the Black community of attracting and being home to many Black gay youth and gay men. Gay members have been encouraged to pray, speak in tongues or even more.” Story: Clarion Ledger, November 26, 2010

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Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Sentenced: Irvin ‘Pete’ Baldwin, 82, former pastor & Sunday school teacher, Mechanicsville, Virginia, to 90 years in prison, following the recommendation of the jury that convicted him in August of three counts of soliciting sex from a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl on the Internet. Story: Conservative Babylon, August 27, 2010; Times-Dispatch, November 22, 2010

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Sobbing and pleading for leniency, former 9th District Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt told a federal court judge Friday he let voters and his family down by taking a $10,000 bribe from FBI informant Solomon Dwek.

But U.S. District Court Judge Joel A. Pisano said Van Pelt’s tears came too late and only because he got caught. …

Van Pelt was arrested in July 2009, along with 44 other people, as part of Operation Bid Rig, New Jersey’s largest public corruption sting. …

Van Pelt was a committeeman in Ocean Township, Ocean County, at the time. The bribe was related to a development there.

Full story, with video of Van Pelt accepting a bribe: pressofAtlanticCity.com, November 20, 2010

Claims to fame: Newly- (2010) re-elected, eight-term, vehemently anti-gay “family values” Republican Minnesota State Rep. (Dist. 48A); adulterer; divorcé-to-be; gun nut; apparent stalker

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Claims to fame: Defrocked Catholic priest; former administrator, Sacred Heart of Mary, Rocksprings, Texas, who also served assignments in Kansas, Missouri, & Nebraska; suspected boy-rapist & would-be murderer

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Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Sentenced: Joshua DiMeo, 21, former P.E. teacher & son of Kathy DiMeo, head administrator, Light and Life Christian School (whose mission is “to provide a quality education in a Christian atmosphere for all our students … We are training them now for the challenges of tomorrow in their own lives and for their part in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom”), operated by the Liberty Free Methodist Church, Liberty, New York, to three years in prison, 10 years’ probation and registration as a sex offender, after pleading guilty to disseminating indecent materials to a minor (a felony) and second-degree sexual abuse (a misdemeanor). DiMeo texted and sent a photo of his genitals to a 13-year-old female student. “DiMeo admitted to sexually touching another 13-year-old girl, both while serving as Light and Life’s physical education teacher.” Story: Sullivan County Democrat, August 20, 2010

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…Atlantic County Freeholder Chairman and Surrogate-elect Jim Curcio … is scheduled to appear in Sea Isle City municipal court at 1 p.m. on charges of suspicion of drunk driving and refusing to submit to a breath test. He was arrested by Hamilton Township police at 2 a.m. Oct. 3 on the Black Horse Pike near the Hamilton Mall, telling police he was driving home after several political events connected with his run for the surrogate position.

…Curcio is a former Hamilton Township prosecutor — the lawyer with the firm of Curcio & Curcio in Hammonton…

Less than a month after his arrest, Curcio, a Republican, defeated incumbent Democratic Surrogate Jim Carney 30,928 to 29,805. …

Full story: pressofAtlanticCity.com, November 21, 2010

Claims to fame: Senior pastor, Living Word Christian Fellowship Church, “an independent, non-denominational, Bible-believing” — and anti-gay — “church, embracing a charismatic style of worship”, Neptune, New Jersey; adulterer; probable bisexual; liar-by-omission

Moral apex: In November, 2010, preached that Facebook was a “portal to infidelity” and ordered church leaders to delete their Facebook accounts or resign:

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Claims to fame: United States Federal Judge nominated by President (& fellow Conservative Babylonian) Ronald Reagan in 1987 & confirmed (thanks to pressure by fellow Conservative Babylonian Strom Thurmond) by U.S. Senate in 1988; Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 2006-08; Ford Foundation fellow; Citadel graduate; Vietnam Vet (U.S. Army, 1967-70; U.S. Army Reserve, 1970-1986); lawyer; husband; adulterer; john; cokehead; pothead; pillhead; gun nut; hypocrite to the nth degree; old fool

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When last we left Cary Allred, then-Republican State Rep. from North Carolina, he was on the brink of resigning from office and threatening to quit the Republican Party after the GOP called him out for inappropriate behavior (well, inappropriate for most lawmakers, but for a Republican, practically tame): showing up for work stinking of booze, driving like a maniac (102mph in a 65mph zone and reckless driving, for which he was cited in 2009), and acting like a dirty old man with a female page.

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Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Indicted: Johnny William “Bill” Cabe, 50, pastor, Riverside Independent Baptist Church, Rock Hill, South Carolina, and convicted felon who served seven years in prison for bilking “religious investors” out of $8 million, on felony charges of sexual abuse of an 11-year-old boy (contributing to the delinquency of a minor and committing a lewd act on a child under 16). This is the third time Cabe has been up on child sexual-abuse charges. Story: Conservative Babylon, August 26, 2010; Herald Online, November 13, 2010 (more…)

Because there’s no way we can track every sex crime and scandal in the Roman Catholic church — so we’ll just give you the headlines. Of the following, however, the more interesting cases may end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Monsignor Peter Beriña
• Youth accuses Catholic priest of rape, Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 14, 2010

Miguel Cala
• Parents sue Miami Archdiocese, say son was molested in Coral Springs, Miami Herald, November 16, 2010
• Archdiocese of Miami Sued Over Alleged Sexual Abuse by Coral Springs Music Teacher, Miami NewTimes, November 16, 2010
• Jailed teacher faces new molestation suit, Miami Herald, November 18, 2010

Samuel Ciccolini
• Treatment center is target of audit to look for fraud, Beacon Journal, November 17, 2010

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Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Appeal filed: Matt Baker, 38, former pastor, Crossroads Baptist Church, Waco, Texas, and Baylor University alumnus, convicted in 2010 for the 2006 murder of his wife Kari (”administering drugs to her and suffocating her with a pillow”), currently serving 65 years. Baker was first arrested in 2005, but the charge was dropped because the D.A. “failed to indict him within six months. Baker was re-arrested in March 2009 on a warrant issued after his former girlfriend, Vanessa Bulls testified” how Baker, with whom she was having an affair, planned to kill his wife. During sentencing, several witnesses “shared aggressive sexual encounters they had with the convicted murderer” — including an acquaintance who testified that Baker made a pass at her while visiting the Bakers’ daughter Kassidy as she lay dying (of a brain tumor) in the hospital. The day of his conviction, Baker wore “a multi-colored tie emblazoned with the word ‘FAITH’ and a Icthus (fish)” to court. Story: CBS News: 48 Hours, May 10, 2008 / June 9, 2009; KWTX, September 3, 2009; KXXV, January 20, 2010; Associated Baptist Press, January 20, 2010; the big daddy weave, January 20, 2010

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See main entry for Kevin Parker

See all entries for Kevin Parker

November 17, 2010:

 
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Claims to fame: 27-year-old son of right-wing Baptist Republican South Carolina State Rep. Steve Parker; suspected serial flasher, public wanker, burglar & cop-puncher-outer

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Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Charged: Walter Donald Bradshaw, 61, traveling evangelist, of Lexington, North Carolina, with multiple counts of sexual assault against an 11-year-old girl “several years ago” in Bedford, Pennsylvania, including “rape, rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, indecent exposure, corruption of minors, sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor.” The girl’s 51-year-old mother was also taken into custody at Bradford’s home in Lexington, “accused of taking her daughter to the motel room and leaving her there with Bradshaw”; she has been charged with “with sexual exploitation of children, unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children, criminal solicitation to commit perjury and corruption of minors.” “Investigators said the 11-year-old girl reported to Bedford State Police last month that Bradshaw raped and assaulted her between 2007 and 2008. She said, she and her mother met Bradshaw about four years ago when he was in Bedford for a church revival. The child alleges the rape and sexual assault happened at” the Janey Lynn Motel “in Bedford Township.” The two are expected to be extradited to Pennsylvania. Story: WJAC, November 12, 2010; digtriad.com, November 12, 2010; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 13, 2010; Times Leader, November 14, 2010

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See main entry for Jon & Kate Gosselin

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Two of the Gosselin sextuplets have been expelled from their Pennsylvania private school, In Touch Weekly reports. Alexis and Collin, age 6, are reportedly being home-schooled after getting kicked out for “rage issues.” …

Jon Gosselin recently lashed out at Kate for continuing to keep the kids on television, claiming the show has given them behavioral and emotional problems…

Full story and video at HuffPo.

See main entry for Susan Brock

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No big surprise — how else would she plead? Still, guess hubby Fulton Brock isn’t buying it, since he’s divorcing her.

Next court appearance: December 27, 2010, for an initial pretrial conference.

See main entry for Ken Kratz

See all entries for Ken Kratz

November 15, 2010:

New court documents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice show that one of the state’s witnesses against former District Attorney Kenneth Kratz was a woman who alleged that in 1999 she had a “sexual encounter” with Kratz at her home, while he was handling her domestic abuse case against her husband.

There are reportedly five women who have accused Kratz of behaving inappropriately during his time as DA, including several women who claim he sent them sexually suggestive text messages. Another woman claimed Kratz invited her on a date to an autopsy.

Read the whole sordid story at TPMMuckraker.

Claims to fame: Trinidad-born co-founder, Utah Republican Black Assembly; president/CEO, International Media Services, LLC; “international business consultant,” World Trade Connecters [sic]; former radio host, K-TALK & KTKK; ex-cruise ship dancer; devout Mormon; ex-LDS branch president; convicted sexual batterer

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Backstory: Susan Brock (R-Mormon Mommy, Ariz.), November 1, 2010

Looks like Fulton Brock does indeed believe the allegations are true — he’s divorcing his wife, Susan Brock, “charged with 15 sex-abuse counts over an alleged three-year series of sexual encounters with a boy.” Read the full (if short) story at the Arizona Republic.

No big surprise, this — but we do wonder if the devout and oh-so-”traditional” Mormon Mister will also petition for an official un-”sealing” by the LDS church, or if he’ll keep his “eternal marriage” to his wayward Missus for extra points toward polygamous righteousness in the “Celestial Kingdom”?

Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.

Resigned: Steven Belinski, pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, Reading, Pennsylvania, “amid allegations he engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship” with a woman during the 1980s, while he was at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Allentown. “Belinski told synod leaders he has no recollection of the incident, but felt it best for everyone involved to resign.” Story: WFMZ, October 28, 2010

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