Open matters at the end of 2019..... The sex abuse charges against Bishop DiMarzio and real estate moves for a variety of reasons, and how those matters impact and effect Marty Golden, John Quaglione and the Brooklyn GOP

It's the cusp of the New Year  ---  Old Year 2019 out & New Year 2020 in.....

As a person very interested in the goings on inside the Brooklyn GOP,  one needs to address a couple of 800 Pound Gorillas in the room  ---  Brooklyn GOP "Leaders" Marty Golden and John Quaglione have developed a very close association with Brooklyn's Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars (formally known as Nicholas Di Marzio, the Bishop Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn)  ---  in fact,  they have been reported to work for him and his Diocese

Unfortunately,  those relationships with DiMarzio by Golden and Quaglione make what follows,  a very political and very Republican business, indeed  ---  and a very unfinished business at that.....

Here are a few of wide open matters and/or issues that should be addressed by Golden and/or Quaglione:

1) Since John Quaglione is employed as one of DiMarzio's PR scoundrels, I'll address this first question to JQ:  On November 20th of this year, your boss, Nicky Mars, made a statement promising "more information" and "transparency" regarding the charges of sex abuse leveled against him by Mitchell Garabedian on behalf of a then-infant victim, Mark Matzek.  In fact, this is exactly what DiMarzio promised to all of us,  "....  You have a right to more information on this matter and I pledge to you continued transparency in a future column...."  ---  As a spokesperson for Bishop DiMarzio and the Diocese of Brooklyn can you explain why almost six weeks have passed and there has been no more "information";  "detail";  "clarity" or "transparency" as to the particular abuse alleged by Mr. Garabedian ?


2) Since the second question is very related to the first (it's a virtual follow-up), I'll address this question to John Quaglione, as well  ---  It has been reported, by Bishop DiMarzio and others that Pope Francis knew about the Garabedian-Matzek charges while DiMarzio was in Rome, and that the the Pope and DiMarzio discussed the matter.  What did the Pope know ?  When did he know it ??  And what did he say to DiMarzio about it ???  ---  That is especially important,  because "... the Church 'is preparing to begin an investigation' into the accusations, Brooklyn Diocese spokeswoman Adriana Rodriguez told The Post. DiMarzio is waiting for 'further instructions' from the Vatican regarding the investigation, Rodriguez said...."

Although similar questions could easily be asked of  Quaglione's former boss Marty Golden, the most recent open matters with respect to Marty Golden have to do with what Marty is doing vis a vis immigrants, legal and illegal, in connection with his rather vaguely described job for the Diocese of Brooklyn and its Bishop, aka Nicky Mars.  

3) The question directed at Marty Golden  is broad,  but relevant  ---  what kinds of real estate matters have come up in the various activities that Marty Golden has engaged in on behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Bishop DiMarzio; and has Marty gotten any additional financial benefit from that directly or indirectly ?

Another Marty Golden Haiku

Gold might fall like lead
Scaffolds, sheds protect none
On the Golden Way

Who will sing "Auld Lang Syne" for the Brooklyn GOP ???

Somebody needs to pick up the pieces  and patch up the broken old plate that was once the Kings County Republican Party

The notion of a mythical "Marty Golden District"  or a GOP redoubt and stronghold in Southwest Brooklyn has gone on the same zephyr that swept away the mythical Tara of Margaret Mitchell;  and for many of the same reasons

It's not accidental that the question "Where is Craig Eaton ???" keeps getting repeated by certain commenters on this blog. That well bespoke phrase is becoming the Brooklyn GOP's own version of Ayn Rand's  "Who is John Galt ?" or the who, what and where of the driver behind Philip K. Dick's "The Man In The High Castle".....

Don't follow false prophets and pretenders  ---  or people who can't fly the plane or ate the fish. ---  "I am serious, and don't call me..."

2020 can be a big year  ---  don't make it another small one with more bad choices.....  

Pope Francis is named top "Sinnerman" in class action sex abuse case worth "Billions"

The Holy See of Rome has been sued in federal court in New York under the New York lookback law in a class action suit that, if certified, could well yield billions of dollars in damages to New York victims

The case was brought by one of New York's top sex abuse litigators,  Jeff Herman

"By mandating secrecy in response to allegations of reports of child sexual abuse, the HOLY SEE through the Bishops created and fostered a child sex ring in the Church."                                                                   --- Attorney Jeff Herman

[Cue the Seekers to sing "Sinnerman"]

"Oh sinner man
Where you gonna run to

Oh sinner man

Where you gonna run to

Oh sinner man
Where you gonna run to
All on that day

Run from the light
Satan's gonna see you
Run from the light
Satan's gonna see you
Run from the light
Satan's gonna see you
All on that day

Don't make a sound
The Devils' gonna hear you
Don't make a sound
The Devils' gonna hear you
Don't make a sound
The Devils' gonna hear you
All on that day

Oh sinner man
Where you gonna run to
Oh sinner man
Where you gonna run to
Oh sinner man
Where you gonna run to
All on that day

Run to the Lord
Lord won't you hide me
Run to the Lord
Lord won't you hide me
Run to the Lord
Lord won't you hide me
All on that day

Lord said: Sinner man
You should've been a prayin' 
Lord said: Sinner man
You should've been a prayin'
Lord said: Sinner man
You should've been a prayin' 
All on that day...."

Bob Capano puts his marker on the board for 2021 in a classic right-left debate with City Council Member Justin Brannan

Even though Democrats' names like Brannan, Albanese and De Blasio were mentioned by Bob Capano in this week's Brooklyn Paper column, his real targets were two Republicans, whose names were not mentioned  ---  John Quaglione and Liam McCabe

Clearly, Capano is ready to reboot his campaign for the City Council which didn't work out so well in 2017  ---  he sees the two Republicans that bettered his totals in the GOP primary of 2017 as being badly wounded birds  --- and easy prey in any 2021 GOP primary that might be a prelude  ---  to Capano's ultimate target Justin Brannan

Meanwhile, Quaglione and one or two of his supporters keep trying to pretend that he has the GOP nod sewed up for any office that he might choose to run for  ---  sort of like a lifetime achievement award from the Golden faction of the Brooklyn GOP for doing God-knows-what

For a look at Bob Capano's column about rising crime in Bay Ridge and Justin Brannan's denial-of and hand-in all of it  (See "Column Leftist Policies Lead to More Crime" by Bob Capano,  12/17/19,  Brooklyn Paper/ Opinion   [https://www.brooklynpaper.com/column-leftist-policies-leads-to-more-crime/]).

Possible breakthrough in obtaining justice for victims of sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church

Pope issues a decree lifting the prior rule of secrecy

"Activists have called for the move to help investigators gather evidence against offenders...."                                                                              --- WSJ

This could be big.....

Here now the news.....

According to this morning's report in the Wall Street Journal: 

"ROME— Pope Francis has lifted the secrecy requirement for Catholic Church documents related to priests’ sexual abuse of minors, granting a longstanding demand from activists who say it will help civil authorities gather evidence against abusers in the church....  In a decree published by the Vatican Tuesday, the pope ruled that the “pontifical secret” binding church officials to confidentiality doesn’t apply to evidence and legal proceedings regarding clerical sex abuse or its coverup....  'Office confidentiality shall not prevent the fulfillment of the obligations laid down in all places by civil laws, including any reporting obligations, and the execution of enforceable requests of civil judicial authorities,' said the decree, which Pope Francis approved earlier this month....  In an explanatory note, the president of the Vatican City State court, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, said that the lifting of the secrecy requirement applied both to the Vatican itself and to local church authorities handling abuse cases around the world....  Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, of the Vatican’s office for church legislation, stressed in another note that the change didn’t apply to the seal of the confessional, which forbids priests from revealing any information transmitted in a sacramental confession, even if it pertains to sex abuse....  The lifting of the secrecy requirement has been long sought by campaigners against sex abuse in the clergy to help bring offenders to justice...."  (See "Pope Francis Removes the Secrecy Requirements for Church Documents on Child Sex Abuse"  by Francis X. Rocca,  12/17/19,  Wall Street Journal/ World   [https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-removes-the-secrecy-requirements-for-church-documents-on-child-sex-abuse-11576587118]).

Does Nicole have her heart in this race for Congress

Query:  If Nicole Malliotakis were in the federal witness protection program  ---  OR  ---  if she were running for a federal office, like let's say congress  ---  would anybody be able to tell the difference ???

Well,  just look at all the great press that she's gotten.....        [ crickets and cicadas like a hot September night ]

So far, this is all that we've seen from Nicole:

If her defense of Trump were any more tepid,  Max Rose would sue her for theft of intellectual property for taking the biggest  part of his position opposing Trump's impeachment,  which was better argued than his recent flip-flop toward favoring the impeachment,  in fact better argued than anything that Nicole has advanced in defense of the President.

Talk about weak beer  ---  Nicole Maleficentakis recently Tweeted that "...  My office is currently helping a homeless veteran & a veteran with medical expenses..." How truly blessed Northeast Staten Island and Bay Ridge Brooklyn are --- to have only two veterans in need of government services that Nicole can "help" to deal with.

When Republicans care enough to talk about Nicole at all, it's to "Tsk, tsk, tsk !!!" about the defections and almost complete abandonment of Nicole's congressional campaign by her former friends, staff and supporters of her successful runs for the NYS Assembly, and even her somewhat less than illustrious campaign for mayor.

If I missed anything, please feel free to let everybody know in the comments below.....

NEW YORK POST TAKES A STAND ON YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.....

The studio audience was asked the question,  "Who is the Whistleblower in all this Ukraine whoop-lah that Trump supposedly did ?"  ---  And the "Match Game" host for all time,  Gene Rayburn,  then shouted out,  "And the survey says"  --- 

>>>  "Eric Ciaramella !!!"  <<< 

DING !  DING !!  DING !!!  DING !!!!  DING !!!!!

WHO ?????

According to a report in Breitbart News,   "The New York Post named the suspected 'whistleblower' — Eric Ciaramella — in a column published by the newspaper’s editorial board and called for the partisan CIA analyst to answer questions about his knowledge regarding allegations of corruptions against former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden...."                                                                                ---  Breitbart News, 12/13/19

Here's the meat and potatoes from a very long, detailed and analytic "EDITORIAL" found in today's NY Post print editions under the title  "The Whistleblower And His Name":

"....Forgive us, then, for the sense of déjà vu when it comes to the impeachment hearings. This time, the press is near united in arguing that you shall not question the narrative of how this whole thing got started. Don’t you dare name the whistleblower. Don’t ask how Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) might have helped him write his complaint. Or even that Schiff is lying when he says he doesn’t know who the whistleblower is. Or why Schiff is subpoenaing the phone records of his colleagues.This is the same Schiff, by the way, who in 2018 said that the Department of Justice’s warrants for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISAs, met 'the rigor, transparency and evidentiary basis needed.'  

Schiff had the same information as Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who found the exact opposite. So we know Schiff is a liar.

Two years from now, will we find out the real story? It may not change either side’s view of impeachment, but isn’t that what the press does — try to find the truth?

The whistleblower is most likely CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella.

Journalist Paul Sperry reported his name in late October, saying that sources inside the closed-door impeachment hearings identified him. Ciaramella has put out no statement denying these reports. Whistleblower lawyers refuse to confirm or deny Ciaramella is their man. His identity is apparently the worst-kept secret of the Washington press corps. In a sign of how farcical this has become, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said his name as part of a series of names during a live hearing Wednesday night aired on television. He never called him the whistleblower, just said he was someone Republicans thought should testify, yet Democrats angrily denounced the 'outing.' If you don’t know the man’s name, how do you know the man’s name?  

Politico’s Jack Shafer has eloquently argued that the press should name the whistleblower. It is not against the law — whistleblower protections are to prevent retaliation in the workplace and apply to his superiors, not the media. Yet while the press eagerly tried to out Deep Throat or the anonymous author of 'A Warning,' they suddenly lack curiosity.

They’ve also been hypocritical. In September, the Times reported the whistleblower was a male CIA officer who worked at the White House and was now back at the CIA. Why? Executive editor Dean Baquet said, “We wanted to provide information to readers that allows them to make their own judgments about whether or not he is credible.” A cynic might say they were trying to argue that the whistleblower was credible.

But if that’s the argument, and if Ciaramella is the whistleblower, isn’t it also relevant that he, according to Sperry, previously worked with CIA Director John Brennan, a fierce critic of Trump, and Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s political opponent and the crux of the impeachment inquiry? That he’s a registered Democrat and that he was — again, according to Sperry — accused of leaking negative information about the Trump administration and that’s why he was transferred back to Langley?

What, if anything, did he leak? Did he work with Biden on Ukraine, apparently Ciaramella’s area of expertise? Did he know about Burisma and Hunter Biden? Who told him about the call, and why did that person not complain instead of him? How did Schiff’s staff help him tailor the complaint?

This is only the fourth time in our history that a president has faced impeachment. Shouldn’t we know the answers to these questions now, and not in two or three years when the inevitable official reports and tell-all books come out? Why must we wait for the truth?"  ( See "Here’s the likely whistleblower — and the questions he should answer"  by The Post Editorial Board,  12/12/19,  NY Post/ Opinion/ Editorial    [https://nypost.com/2019/12/12/heres-the-likely-whistleblower-and-the-questions-he-should-answer/]).

A report of this editorial was made in many other outlets than Breitbart, but that is where I saw it first.....

New charge against Bishop DiMarzio --- On his watch in Brooklyn and Queens the coverup of sexually abusive priests continues

A former priest and sex abuse victim says that  “Bishop DiMarzio and the Diocese of Brooklyn are evading [giving] a full account of priest perpetrators in the Diocese of Brooklyn….”

In a related report,  the same former priest and sex abuse victim stated that DiMarzio and  >>> his protégé <<< the current administrator of the Diocese of Buffalo,  Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger,  are still using "the old Canon Law playbook" to keep a lid on all the facts of the current priest pedophile problem in Buffalo

The numbers just don’t come close to adding up  ---  The Brooklyn Diocese headed by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio says that there have been 114 abusive priests removed from their clerical duties; however, the Brooklyn Diocese has admitted there have been active investigations against 142 priests  ---  nobody has attempted to relate those two categories or explain any overlaps or inconsistencies 

The responses from the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Diocese of Buffalo to the questions raised by the former priest and sex abuse victim, James Faluszczack, were completely evasive and non-responsive 

According to a report on CBS-NewsRadio 880 ,  “The Brooklyn Diocese has admitted there were 114 abusive priests removed from the clergy, but there have been active investigations against 142 priests….  “Bishop DiMarzio and the Diocese of Brooklyn are evading a full account of priest perpetrators in the Diocese of Brooklyn,” said James Faluszczak, a former priest who was abused as a child….  Faluszczak says he’s suspicious about DiMarzio’s handling of the sex abuse investigations, especially since the bishop himself was also accused of abuse….  Faluszczack says he’s mostly concerned about a report looking into clergy sexual abuse in Buffalo conducted by DiMarzio….  ‘We contend that Bishop DiMarzio is also withholding information that he is aware of from the diocese of Buffalo,’ he said….  A spokesperson for the Brooklyn Diocese says the bishop is not sitting on the report and added that all abuse claims go before a review board….”  (See “Brooklyn Bishop DiMarzio Accused Of Ignoring Some Sex Abuse Claims”  by Peter Haskell,  12/10/19,  CBS NewsRadio 880  [https://wcbs880.radio.com/articles/news/brooklyn-bishop-dimarzio-accused-of-ignoring-abuse-claims]).

Meanwhile from a similar source in Buffalo was the following report:  “Clergy sex abuse survivor James Faluszczak is urging more transparency from diocesan officials and specifically called out Buffalo's Apostolic Administrator, Edward Scharfenberger, to release information that he knows about abuse in Western New York….  Faluszczak, a Western New York resident who has long railed against the Diocese of Buffalo for its handling of clergy sex abuse, called on Scharfenberger to unveil information about the internal investigation conducted by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio into Buffalo. DiMarzio concluded his report last month….  'Bishop Richard Malone recently resigned and was forced out of the Diocese of Buffalo,' Faluszczak said Tuesday in Brooklyn. ‘Bishop Scharfenberger, this protege of Bishop DiMarzio, is presiding over the same cover-up.’…  ‘Will he finally give to the good people of the Diocese of Buffalo a full public account of the number, the nature, and the location of clergy sexual abuse in Buffalo?’ Falusczak asked….  Scharfenberger became the temporary leader of the Diocese of Buffalo on December 4 following the resignation of Richard Malone as bishop. Falusczak said that he's personally found the Albany bishop to be approachable but criticized him for following the same 'playbook" of canon law'....”  (See  “Abuse survivor calls out Diocese leader for alleged cover up -- James Faluszczak wants answers from Edward Scharfenberger”  by Mike Baggerman,  12/10/19,  WREN 930AM   [https://wben.radio.com/articles/abuse-survivor-calls-out-diocese-leader-for-alleged-cover-up]).

Who, What, Where is the "BROOKLYN GOP" or the "Brooklyn Republican Party" ???

If you plug "Brooklyn GOP" or "Brooklyn Republican Party" into you search engine, almost everything up front shows that Craig Eaton is still the man in charge;  what does that say about the formal Republican county organization of Marty Golden's handpicked GOP County Chairman Ted Ghorra ?

Even if you look on social media, it is much the same  ---  with a smattering of stuff for Liam McCabe.....

Is there any evidence of an active presence by a viable political entity called the "Brooklyn Republican Party " or the "Brooklyn GOP" in 2019 going forward into 2020

This is a Republican Party that seems frozen in time at least five years ago if not longer.

Ted Ghorra can't do the job as GOP County Leader;  and it looks like nobody else wants the job enough to make any effort at a takeover.

So should we be sad, mad or glad ???

Is John Quaglione the kind of Republican that we want anywhere near the top of the GOP in Brooklyn. --- OR --- as a candidate for anything, at any time, here or anywhere ???

Quaglione is flakking harder than ever for his new boss, the tainted and soon to be completely disgraced Godfather Bishop of Brooklyn,  who lately had been tasked with painting the house of a troublesome Upstate New York Bishop for Pope Francis  ---  just take a gander at Q's Twitter page  ---  Two Tweets about a recent DiMarzio event,  but nothing about all of the flotsam and jetsam of DiMarzio's being so up front and personal in the priest pedo scandal


Too bad JQ never learned to be critical about anything bad going on around him  ---  whether it was in his family,  or the performance in office and the goings on by the staff of his long-time boss Marty Golden,  or now with the wheels coming off of everything that Quaglione's latest boss touches

When is Quags going to step up, be a man and tell everybody in a loud voice  ---  "I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad... as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy... I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about any of it. All I know is that first you've got to get mad....  And you've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, God damn it! My life has VALUE'...  Then say,  [wait for it]  'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' 

Then march into your boss, the Godfather Bishop of Brooklyn Nicky Mars,  and tell him to stop whining about persecuted and displaced Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere  ---  Tell him,  "FOR GOD'S SAKE, NICKY, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR ALMOST YOUR WHOLE ADULT LIFE,  AND DURING THAT TIME IT'S GONE FROM BAD, TO WORSE, TO ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE...  SO, GIVE US A BREAK, CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESSES CLOSER TO HOME  ---  GIVE US THE INFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS THAT YOU PROMISED ONCE YOU GOT CAUGHT OUT;  AND MAKE IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER  ---  AND ONE LAST THING,  AT LEAST TEMPORARILY STEP DOWN LIKE YOUR BROTHER NEW YORK BISHOP JOHN JENIK RECENTLY DID  WHEN HE WAS SUSPENDED AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ABUSE AND BECOMING THE SUBJECT OF AN INTERNAL CHURCH INVESTIGATION, AS WELL AS ONE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

As a practical PR matter,  if John Q wants to earn his pay as the "Deputy Press Secretary" at DeSales Media,  he should tell the Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars. that in the current overheated environment of the fallout from improperly overtly expressed priestly sexuality,  as the Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Brooklyn, it just doesn't look good to be telling all the people in the diocese to "PUT OUT..." at the start of everyone of his weekly published messages to the faithful; even if a lot of the more liberated clergy at PPW and elsewhere lol that nobody has gotten such an obvious inside joke.

Fordham paper is late to the Mainstream and Catholic Press DiMarzio Feeding Frenzy --- OR --- Are they just piling on --- OR --- Is it something completely new ???

It's the same basic story that had been widely reported for weeks  ---  Mitchell Garabedian, one of the main litigators in taking down pedophile priests and the corrupt bishops that covered-for them and enabled many to become record breaking serial perps, announced his intention to sue Brooklyn's Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio pursuant to the New Jersey "lookback law" which went into effect this past week. Garabedian's case would be  on behalf of a fifty-six year old client named Mark Metzak,  claiming  that Bishop DiMarzio and the late Rev. Albert Mark sexually abused him multiple times between 1974 and 1975, while Metzak attended a Catholic school in Jersey City, NJ

There is one new element in the report by Gus Dupree, Assistant News Editor of  "The Observer  ---  The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center" and it's right up front in the article's headline,  "Bishop With Ties to Fordham Accused of Sexual Assault"  ---  the story is news at Fordham,  because they say that Bishop DiMarzio has "...ties to Fordham..."  ---  as in  ---  that's a bad thing for Fordham.....

Is this a signal that Fordham University is pulling out of its deal with the schools in/of the Diocese of Brooklyn, because of the upcoming charges against DiMarzio ???

Here's the meat and potatoes about the new stuff being reported in this Fordham newspaper article:  "In May 2012, DeMarzio worked with Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) to form the Catholic School Accreditation Association (CSAA). According to Fordham News, the CSAA is a partnership between GSE and the Diocese of Brooklyn which provides regional Catholic schools an alternative accreditation method as opposed to the Middle States Accreditation Process....  At the time, The Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., expressed his pleasure with the partnership. 'This partnership will enable us to help one another in very significant ways,” McShane said in 2012. 'Fordham is delighted to do it, honored to do it and committed to the work.'...  In response to the allegations {against Bishop DiMarzio], Assistant Vice President for Communications Bob Howe said on behalf of the university, 'Our hearts go out to the victim: such abuse is hard to countenance or forgive, and is a terrible violation of the human spirit. We pray for the healing of this victim, and all the victims of sexual abuse.'..."  (See "Bishop With Ties to Fordham Accused of Sexual Assault" by Gus Dupree,  12/4/19,  The Observer [Fordham Lincoln Center]   [https://fordhamobserver.com/42961/news/bishop-with-ties-to-fordham-accused-of-sexual-assault/]).

Apart from seeming to prejudge DiMarzio as "guilty" before any charges or specifications in the form of a civil complaint have been filed,  this article seems to be putting Fordham University on notice that they might also be involved if anything bad happens in any Brooklyn or Queens Catholic school on Bishop DiMarzio's watch while their partnership with the Brooklyn Diocese remains in effect.

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John Quaglione, WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON ???

Before making the final judgment that John Quaglione is an absolute hypocrite  ---  and perhaps a moronic one, to boot;  we here at "The Brooklyn & Staten Island Independent GOP Fountainhead" will ask him once and for all  ---  "WHICH SIDE [ARE] YOU ON ?"

To the uninformed, the question  ---  "WHICH SIDE [ARE] YOU ON ?"  ---  might seem vague,  but to followers of the public antics of John Quaglione  ---  the 2017 GOP nominee for City Council;  the former spokesperson and media maven for former State Senator Marty Golden; the current deputy press secretary for DeSales Media, the communications arm of the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese; Chairperson of St. Anselm's Catholic Academy (SACA);  co-chair of the March of Dimes Brooklyn Committee;  Member of the Executive Committee of the Brooklyn GOP and State Committee Member for the New York State GOP from the 46th AD  ---  it is a very obvious and straight forward question,  although admittedly,  it has many facets and nuances.....

Without getting into too much detail on the various facets, nuances and particulars,  as a very broad proposition,  wouldn't it be fair to say that >>> taken as a whole,  your combination of jobs, political activities and community involvements put you on opposite sides of  myriad pressing issues and hard-fought policy debates ?   And as a brief follow up:  How do you manage it ???

The one thing (actually it's lots of things) that come(s) to mind the most was something that you said during the 2017 campaign at the October 17th BRCC debate  ---  defending your own pro-life position, which you attributed to your own life experience, you referred to certain women who obtained abortions as "...Barbarians...".  Consistent with that, in January 2019,  you appeared with your former boss,  Marty Golden, at a rally against a change in NYS law, which Mr. Golden characterized as "...   legislation that’s been passed in this state that legalizes the murder of a baby...” and which you referred to as "... fetal homicide..."

Although that is consistent with the stand(s) of your current employers,  DeSales Media and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn,  doesn't it put you completely at odds with the March of Dimes and a majority of your own prospective constituents in the City Council District where you ran, along with a significant portion of your Republican constituents in the 46th AD ?

If you can come up with and explanation or clarification, which might clear up the apparent contradictions,  could you please let us know what that might be.

Just a reminder --- DiMarzio's current situation isn't a laughing matter, yet --- but if it will help, it might be something to joke about

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has shown that he has a thin skin when it comes to jokes about pedophile priests and their supporters and facilitators inside the Catholic Church  ---  basically, that's almost all of the rest of the priests and hierarchy from the Pope on down to parish priests and chaplains to various institutions  ---  and of course,  let's not leave out some of our own local lay diocesan employee facilitators like Marty Golden, John Quaglione and Maryellen Quinn

This crowd needs to be tarred and feathered and rode out of town on a rail  ---  so if a few jokes helps make that happen  ---  SO BE IT !!!

It wasn't that long ago that Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars (the soon to be the very multiple-sued Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, formerly of New Jersey) was all bent out of shape because of a couple of jokes on  "Saturday Night Live" (SNL)  ---  Well,  if anybody needs bending out of shape on a regular basis it sure is that guy.....

In our version of  >>> FAIRNESS <<<  here on "The Brooklyn and Staten Island Independent GOP Fountainhead,"  we  (yes, I am using the Papal "we" at this time) are giving you all the citations for Bishop DiMarzio's and his Brooklyn Diocese's formal responses to Pete Davidson and the rest of SNL's jibes from March of this year  (See "Diocese of Brooklyn Responds to Saturday Night Live Skit Attacking Catholic Church"  by The Diocese of Brooklyn,  3/11/19,  Release by DeSales Media  [https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/bishop-nicholas-dimarzio/diocese-of-brooklyn-responds-to-saturday-night-live-skit-attacking-catholic-church/]  (Note: John Quaglione's contact info is prominent in the release);  "Brooklyn Diocese Response to SNL Skit Attacking Catholic Church"  by "Currents News Staff,"  Air Date 3/11/19,  NET >~  [https://netny.tv/episodes/currents/brooklyn-diocese-response-to-snl-skit-attacking-catholic-church/]).  

What those strident responses demonstrated is that "Saturday Night Live" hit a raw nerve down on Prospect Park West  ---  and now all the world is beginning to see why  ---  SNL's Pete Davidson had it 100% right when he joked,  “....  If you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan?”  (R. Kelly is an R&B artist with a cult-like following and a history of sex abuse).....

Just like in the days of Serpico,  when it was said that all cops were corrupt or had actual knowledge of cases of cops engaged in police corruption, can't the same be said about anybody closely associated with the Roman Catholic Church,  especially here in Brooklyn.  

Conservative minded Catholics need to stop being such slothful sheep and need to join with those challenging the terribly corrupt and non-responsive clergy and hierarchy of the contemporary Roman Catholic Church.

There will be much more from here about DiMarzio and his crew  (including Golden, Quaglione and Quinn [Oh my, my !  Wait 'til you see what she's up to])  ---  things are just beginning to heat up.....

Brooklyn Judge Keeps Lid on Queens DA Elex Fix --- Won't Allow a Newsman to Inspect Uncounted Affidavit Ballots or Calculate if Their Elimination Affected the Outcome of the 2019 DA Primary in Queens

One of Mike Long's old buds, John G. Ingram, had some loose ends to tie up in connection with his controversial earlier decision following the 2019 Democratic Primary wherein the Regular Organization Queens Democrat candidate Melinda Katz was declared the winner over Tiffany Caban, an independent reform Democrat, who had a large unofficial lead according to all news outlets on Primary Night 2019

Ingram took the easy way out for himself and the NYC Board of Elections, by keeping the contents of approximately 350 unopened and uncounted affidavit ballots secret  ---  according to the judge's November 19th  Decision, which was not filed until the day before Thanksgiving, even though, the provisions of the NYS Election Law called for the preservation of and allowing the inspection of ballots for two years following an election or primary 

According to Judge Ingram, the election law provisions did not apply to these more than 350 affidavit ballots, because they had been found to be invalid by the BOE;  and as a result of the BOE ruling, these affidavit ballots in the Queens DA Primary remained unopened and uncounted to this very day

Here's the long and the short of Justice Ingram's Decision:  since the BOE had ruled that these affidavit ballots were not valid, and they were neither opened nor counted by the BOE, hence they were never treated as ballots in the 2019 Democratic Primary for Queens DA, thus they were not in the category of ballots to be preserved and/or made available for inspection under the terms of the NYS Election Law

For the Ingram Decision in the case brought by a Brooklyn investigative reporter  (See  "In the Matter of  Theodore Hamm, Petitioner,  v.  The Board of Elections in the CIty of New York, Respondent  [Sup. Ct. Queens County,  Index No.:  6165/2019]).

A former supporter of the insurgent Queens DA candidate, Tiffany Caban has informed me that attorneys for Mr. Hamm do intend to appeal the November decision by Judge Ingram.

The Garabedian Case against DiMarzio is not the only case against him under the New Jersey "look back" law

In an earlier case on behalf of a man named Justin Hoffman, a NJ suit had been filed in May 2019 naming Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio as a defendant during his time as the Bishop of Camden, for his part in covering-up and facilitating the activities of an alleged serial sex offender priest named Brendan Sullivan, now deceased.  In that case it is alleged that as Bishop, DiMarzio failed in his duty to warn and protect children under his care

Hoffman's claims follow a pattern that involved Bishop DiMarzio in the matter of another serial abuser priest. In that older case, Philadelphia's Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua threw Bishop DiMarzio and the Camden Dioceses under the bus in a case involving a multiple offender priest named John P. Connor,  who had served under Bevilacqua both in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia  ---  Bevilacqua claimed that when Connor had transferred from Camden, NJ to Bevilacqua's Diocese in Pittsburgh, they did not inform the Pittsburgh Diocese about Connor's history as an admitted offender in Camden  ---  in the end, Connor returned and served under DiMarzio in Camden before his voluntary withdrawal from the priesthood

Even though the Hoffman case was widely reported upon back in May in the Camden and Philadelphia area,  there was hardly a ripple back in Brooklyn or in the NYC media, in spite of DiMarzio's having been named as a defendant, DiMarzio's allegedly having been actively involved in the cover-up of the priest's activities, and DiMarzio's failure to respond to press inquiries at the time the suit was filed..

Since DiMarzio is a Bishop in Brooklyn and had been the Papal selection to investigate and report on the Buffalo Diocese priest sex abuse scandal,  the local Brooklyn press as well as the city-wide papers need to pursue all of DiMarzio's litigation coming out of his time as a priest and bishop in various New Jersey Dioceses.

As the movie "Spotlight" clearly demonstrated,  the bigger picture of the bigger problem of the institutional corruption of the Roman Catholic Church requires the press to connect the dots and show the overall pattern, rather than look at each case individually.

Once DiMarzio's whole history, or even a big chunk of it, becomes part of the public record, he and his supporters won't be able to claim that he has a good record when it comes to dealing with priestly sexual abuse and/or relations with the victims of priestly sexual abuse and the Church's cover-ups of those cases.

Featured Backfill --- Several Catholic Whistleblowers in the Buffalo Diocese did not trust Bishop DiMarzio to conduct an "independent" review or to deliver an unbiased report

Some evidence from the outset of the so-called "Apostolic Visitation" by Brooklyn's Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio indicated to many that DiMarzio was a wolf in sheep's clothing. For a start, it sure looked like DiMarzio had been working with some of the same Buffalo diocesan people that had been engaged in the long-time facilitation and cover-up of active priest pedophiles that blew up in the faces of the Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Buffalo, Richard Malone, and Bishop Edward Grosz, an Auxiliary Bishop in Buffalo.

When questions arose in October and early November from some pro-victim Catholic groups and the members of the independent Catholic press concerning Bishop DiMarzio's role as "Apostolic Visitor" and why he was chosen for the job,  or why a more formal and transparent investigation under the newly adopted "Vos estis lux mun­di" guidelines was not taking place  ---  neither Bishop DiMar­zio,  the Diocese of Buffalo, or the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre chose to make any comments whatsoever,  with the staff for the Papal (Apostolic) Nuncio stating that they had no knowledge of the specifics of Bishop DiMarzio's Apostolic Visitation to the Diocese of Buffalo 

Oddly,  Bishop Malone seemed to welcome the "Apostolic Visitation" from Bishop DiMarzio from the time it was announced  ---  he even made a public statement in and to his diocese that, he had every confidence in the process, and that he believed the investigation would be “... enhanced by the appointment of Most Rever­end Nicholas DiMarzio as apostolic visitor....”

From the very beginning, word had slipped out to many who wanted a fair and open investigation  ---  that Bishop DiMarzio wanted to have his visitation and report finished and submitted before the New York State Bishops’ left on their "Ad Limina" visit to Rome in mid-November 2019.  And that is exactly what happened in due course.

Given the blase, cursory and jimcrack approach taken by DiMarzio, it was clear that he would not be able to conduct any meaningful investigation of the moral and administrative fiasco, involving nonfeasance, misfeasance and malfeasance, which patently had been committed  by the Roman Catholic Bishops in Buffalo.

If it weren't for the media explosion brought on by Mitchell Garabedian's letter to the Newark Archdiocese, with notice to the press,  on behalf of one of his clients,  the DiMarzio visitation and report would have found its way deep into a dustbin deep in the bowels of the Vatican.  Instead, the early misgivings of various victims rights groups, and their allies in the responsive and responsible Catholic press and the whistleblowers in the Diocese of Buffalo, have had their concerns underlined by Mr. Garabedian himself who said  ---  "The investigation of the Diocese of Buffalo by Bishop DiMarzio is tainted [because of these allegations made by Garabedian]....  There needs to be a truly neutral investigator to determine whether Bishop Malone [of Buffalo] should resign.”

Mr. Garabedian and many others believe that the investigation should be led by a law enforcement agency and even a special grand jury..

The latest news --- DiMarzio's loss of control of the narrative

Big stories in the NY Post and Daily News show that the news value of the yet to be filed charges of sexual abuse against Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio continues unchecked  ---  and DiMarzio's attempt to spin things isn't all that convincing

According to the Post  ---  Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio's  "papal visit took an awkward turn"  ---  AND  ---  a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn mentioned the possibility of DiMarzio stepping aside while the charges are investigated  

According to the News  ---  "Pope Francis stunned long-time Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio by mentioning the sexual abuse allegations leveled against the New York priest when the pair met last week in the Vatican"  ---  AND  ---  the article highlighted  DiMarzio's statement:  "... 'You have a right to more information on this matter, and I [DiMarzio] pledge to you continued transparency in a future column.'...”

This clearly isn't the way that DiMarzio's crisis management team wanted this to play  ---  but DiMarzio and his crew have just learned a lesson  ---  you can say what you want,  but the facts speak for themselves.

DiMarzio's headline says "...Humbled..." --- However, his text comes across as ARROGANCE.....

This guy is one haughty priest in the face of his hearing about only his first charges of child abuse  ---  AND  --- For some reason Bishop DiMarzio chose to highlight the fact that the recent charge against him  "...was already known to [ ] Pope Francis..."

However,  his report on his participation in the New York Catholic Bishops' recent "ad limina" visit(s) to the Vatican and other sites around Rome betrayed how "on edge" *  DiMarzio really is,  as well as how "on the edge" **

There is little new or insightful when it comes to what Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars has to say about the bombshell charges leveled against him by Mitchell Garabedian on behalf of his client, which was national news for two or three days last week  ---  in fact, much of it was verbatim from DiMarzio's earlier statements  ---  but, he did sort of promise that there was more to tell  "in a future column"

Here are the meat and potatoes of the section of DiMarzio's remarks about how the pedophile thing went over while he was in Rome:

"....  Our Holy Father was keenly aware of the individual problems each one of his bishops faces. As we left the meeting, I was amazed that the false accusation made against me was already known to him. Pope Francis thanked me for my work in being the Apostolic Visitator to the Diocese of Buffalo and expressed his hope that the matter presented against me would be cleared up quickly for the good of the Diocese of Brooklyn....   This allegation is humiliating. I have never abused anyone in my life. In my nearly 50-year ministry as a priest, I have never done anything illegal or inappropriate and I look forward to my exoneration in this false accusation. I categorically deny this allegation and will vigorously defend myself against this claim. I have devoted my episcopacy in Brooklyn and Queens and in Camden before that, to fighting sex abuse and putting in the reforms needed to ensure the protection of children. Never would I have thought that as I am coming to the end of my time in active ministry, I would face such an allegation....  I am humbled by all the support I have received from you, the faithful of Brooklyn and Queens, during this difficult time. You have a right to more information on this matter and I pledge to you continued transparency in a future column...." (See citation below)

DiMarzio's little bit of braggadocious name dropping about  "....  As we left the meeting, I was amazed that the false accusation made against me was already known to him. Pope Francis thanked me for my work in being the Apostolic Visitator to the Diocese of Buffalo and expressed his hope that the matter presented against me would be cleared up quickly for the good of the Diocese of Brooklyn...."  ---  NOW, THAT IS QUITE INTERESTING IN SO MANY WAYS.....  

For the rest of Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars' travelogue and trip down memory lane you'll have to read his complete remarks yourself  (See  "I Am Humbled by Your Support" by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, 11/20/19,  The Tablet/ Put Out Into The Deep   [hetablet.org/i-am-humbled-by-your-support/?fbclid=IwAR2_X_w8VP8S3-G0IB693EFLSiFP_yI9_8fEOvp0YX99KDDpDm2_sAScXIU]).

________________________

*  & **  Bishop DiMarzio chose to transliterate or interpret "ad limina" as "on the doorstep";  whereas I thought my translations  "on edge"  and/or  "on the edge" would do very nicely and would be far more descriptive of the reality.....

Early campaign kickoff might be "Outside the Box" --- but Liam McCabe's early stake-out of issues for 2020 State Senate run is just too "Inside the Box"

So we have an early 2020 GOP ticket forming with Liam going to go for the State Senate and Marko Kepi for the assembly

Show of hands, who here thinks that "Q" will stand idly by for something like that  ---  or  ---  Is Quaglione already just a broken toy inside a worn out box full of old toys put away into a corner up in the attic

Republicans like these guys have got to get some new issues though  ---  complaints about rising crime rates and looking for more money for cops is so  "Been there, done that !!!"  for so-called GOP conservatives

When do we get to see somebody new as a Brooklyn GOP candidate ???

Okay,  Kepi fits the bill;  but the other guys are about as fresh as used Trojans.

The Tablet --- meaning the Diocesan paper for Bishop DiMarzio's Brooklyn Diocese --- says the original AP story about YKW and/or the NY Times use of that feed was/were somehow "unethical" or raised some kinds of ethical questions.....

Seriously ?  I mean  ---  "SERIOUSLY !!!"

The article is posted under something called  "Editor's Space" by The Brooklyn Tablet;  and it lists somebody named,  "Jorge I. Dominguez-Lopez,"  as the author  ---  however, it sounds much more like something that John Quaglione might have put forward during one of Marty Golden's bigger driving fiascos in years gone by.....

So, come clean Johnny Baby  ---  did you have a hand in this ?

And  "Q,"  whether you did or not, can you tell me what journalistic ethical standard was violated by the AP or even put into question by something that the AP did ???  And what about each and every newspaper or TV outlet that carried the AP feed,  some just like the New York Times, including additional reporting,  and many of which are clearly part of the Catholic press in America ?????

Usually I include a citation when I make a report like this posting.  ---  However, this thing in DiMarzio's personal rag, "The Tablet," is such pure and unadulterated shit, I believe it would be unethical for me to lead anybody to it by something that I did..

If you choose to look for it, you would be doing that at your own peril.

SO !!! What did Pope Francis say to Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio ???

What's the matter  ---  Has the cat got your tongue ?

It's hard to believe that on Friday the Pope of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ on Earth met with the U.S. Region II bishops (the Catholic Bishops of New York State), including Cardinal Dolan, and there was so little fanfare

                                                                                    Somebody seems to have thrown a wet blanket over all of it and all of them  ---  and that somebody was attorney Mitchell Garabedian  ---  who last week called out the Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn,  Nicholas DiMarzio, as a pedophile

The reports on the Pope's meeting(s) with the New York bishops indicated that he spoke to them collectively and individually

When the Pope spoke to Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio he must have said something.....  Well, what was it ???

THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING !!!

Here's one report, it's somewhat enlightening, but it's far from  penetrating or complete  (See  "New York bishops meet pope at end of 'ad limina' visits"  by Carol Glatz [Catholic News Service], 11/15/19,  National Catholic Reporter/  Vatican    [https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/new-york-bishops-meet-pope-end-ad-limina-visits]).

It's clear that the publicly expressed charges against Bishop DiMarzio where part of the atmospherics of the gathering in Rome. According to the NCR report,  "During the week, while the bishops were praying at the tombs of the apostles and meeting with Vatican officials, media reports emerged concerning two of the bishops on the trip. The reports said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn was accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1970s – a claim he strongly denied – and that Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo would step down after an apostolic visitation of his diocese amid claims of his mishandling of abuse allegations.... Still, [Bishop of Albany Edward] Scharfenberger said, 'as the week went on, it wasn't that that wasn't there, but the focus was really on gratitude to God' and certainty that God will show them the way forward....."

So far it looks like "mum's the word" when it comes to what the Pope and DiMarzio had to talk about  ---  Let's see how this is handled next week in the Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan newspaper, "The Tablet."

DiMarzio can still run, but he can no longer hide

Like the "Titanic" over a hundred years ago,  Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars career has hit an iceberg; and it look's like only a matter of time before he sinks below the waves.....

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio's own response in the form of a letter (available through several outlets, including the Brooklyn-Queens diocesan newspaper, "The Tablet") is interesting  ---  in that it appears to respond only to the AP story accusing him of sexual abuse in the 1970s,  while he was a priest at St. Nicholas Parish in Jersey City  ---  however, it doesn't acknowledge the person making the allegation(s) or that person's very prominent lawyer

What DIMarzio does not say in his letter to his "Sisters and Brothers in the Lord" speaks volumes

Bishop DiMarzio does not address in any way the contents of the letter that Attorney Mitchell Garabedian sent to the Archdiocese of Newark,  which immediately prompted the Archdiocese of Newark to forward the matter directly to the local police for their investigation of the allegations raised.  The Garabedian letter and several of the attorney's statements to an AP reporter indicate a rather detailed description of what are likely to be the plaintiff's claims and specifications with respect to time, place, circumstances and identity of the participants.

One of the things that Bishop DiMarzio's letter did say was that he was being accused of  "... sexual abuse in the 1970s, while I was a priest at St. Nicholas Parish in Jersey City...."  That statement  contains a key admission of sorts.

Bishop DiMarzio stands as a man accused,  and his letter indicates he fully understands the details and the gravamen about which he stands accused.  Thus, what he says and does from here on out need to be judged and evaluated in that context.

DiMarzio's letter mentions that the accusations were about "sexual abuse," "in the 1970s" and "while I was a priest at at St. Nicholas Parish in Jersey City";  it did not mention the name of the accuser,  that another priest was named along with DiMarzio, that the accuser had a prominent lawyer, or that the accuser was claiming tens of millions of dollars as compensation.

Another interesting nuance of the letter,  which the Tablet said was DiMarzio's,  " ...  strongly refuting an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the 1970s while he was still a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J....",  is that the Bishop's denial starts with a quote about what he told the AP reporter.  And the rest is about anything but what happened at St. Nicholas Parish in Jersey City in the 1970s.  

So at the outset,  DiMarzio has sort of admitted to a little, doesn't deny very much and refuses to acknowledge that he is being accused by a real flesh and blood person,  who though an adult now,  would have been a child in the mid-1970s.

[This posting was edited and modified slightly at about 2:05 PM EST,  on 11/15/19]

Was Chip Cafiero really injured in Bermuda or is it just another scam ???

BRHR HEADLINE: "CIVIC LEADER...INJURED IN BERMUDA ACCIDENT..."  ???  ---  "One of Bay Ridge’s hardest working community advocates..."  ???  

The Home Reporter has got to be kidding !!!

More likely:  "SKIMMING LEADER";  "One of Bay Ridge’s hardest working self promoters";  and a big part of Marty Golden's greater fleecing operation (or is that the other way round  ---  is Marty Golden a big part of Chip Cafiero's greater fleecing operation ???)

And in answer to the second half of my question in my main headline above  ---  YES,  IT IS JUST ANOTHER SCAM !!!

No, this isn't an attack of  "SCHADENFREUDE" on my part.  I don't take any joy in seeing that anybody had an accident on a moped in Bermuda,  especially one that could have had life threatening consequences.  But everybody should know that nobody should get anywhere near being a moped rider  ---  especially in Bermuda.

According to the Home Reporter,  "An updated report says that Cafiero had five fractured ribs and that one of the ribs had punctured his lung. He also sustained numerous bruises, according to former State Sen. Marty Golden, a lifelong friend of Cafiero’s....  'His family flew down to Bermuda to be with him,' Golden told this paper. 'The good news is that he’s going to be fine. But he still can’t leave the island and he can’t take a plane. And he won’t be able to come back by ship until next Friday at the earliest. He’s still under strict doctor’s care.'...”  (See "Civic leader Chip Cafiero injured in Bermuda accident" by John Alexander,  11/13/19,  Brooklyn Reporter/ Bay Ridge/ News   [https://brooklynreporter.com/2019/11/civic-leader-chip-cafiero-injured-in-bermuda-accident/]).

The real value of this piece of local color "journalism" by John Alexander is that it helps to catalogue a good number (but certainly not all) of the longtime scams in which Chip Cafiero and Marty Golden have had their hands,  and more important their beaks.

Of all things, the award from BRAVO for both Marty and Chip was the piece de resistance.

And, OH MY GOD !!!  The last line of the article does give away the whole thing as another Marty Golden-Chip Cafiero scam  ---  "To donate towards Cafiero’s injuries..."  ---  if you are a big enough fool, you can look up the link yourself.....