Radio Host, Former Priest, Indicted On Child Porn Charges

San Francisco Chronicle:

Bernie Ward, a popular San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, has been indicted on federal child pornography charges, authorities said today.

Ward, 56, surrendered to federal authorities earlier today but the specifics of the allegations against him are under seal, authorities said.

Read the whole story: San Francisco Chronicle

Comments

[JimK2]

AOL found the images in their cache, Bernie received 2 images in his AOL email account and deleted them, all this happened 3-4 years ago.

U.s. attorney Kevin Ryan was one of the 8 U.S.
attorney fired by Alberto Gonzales and was replaced by prosecutor Scott Schools from South Carolina to Acting US Attorney for northern california.

Sure looks political to me.

[BeamMeUpScotty]

Pedophiles flock to the ministry because they know the Catholic Church will protect them. They have easy access to children who falsely believe the clergy will protect them.

Instead of adopting a "zero tolerance" for pedophiles like they promised, the Catholic Church has backtracked and believes zero tolerance is too harsh and an "abdication of responsibility" to child rapist priests.

There isn't a Hell deep enough or dark enough for these false prophets to stew in for all of eternity. I can only hope that is where they will end up, along with the corrupt Bishops and Cardinals and Popes.

Why would any Catholic see fit to give money to a religious organization that sanctions child rape?

[AlP]

I was just going to ask, wasn't he a former priest? lol!

If it's true, lock him the hell up! The difference between Liberals and Conservatives, is that Liberals know that there are bad people out there. We don't live in a Utopia. Conservatives do and live outside reality -- even if they have to lie and cover it up.

[TyroneTanic]

I'm sure Bernie is convinced he's done nothing wrong. People like him believe pedophilia is "just another lifestyle choice."

[Tator]

Another liberal pervert bites the dust...so many more to go. I am just thrilled it was this idol of the moonbats. What a nice story to wake up to.

[starwheel]

I can't help but be skeptical when charges like this are brought against anybody, whether they are liberal or conservative, Catholic or other, male or female.

Unless you're on the jury of these cases, you have no idea what the pictures were or where they were downloaded from or what their intended use was.

Not only do I give Bernie Ward the benefit of the doubt. But I give anyone the benefit of the doubt who has charges, like possession of easily downloaded and transferrable (i.e., planted) pictures, brought against them.

I hope it's not true Bernie. Don't you be disappointing us AND lying about it.

[JakeS]

Funny how something like this suddenly becomes so hard to believe when it involves someone that others admire and agree with. Pedophiles are found among all segments of society: liberals, conservatives, Christians, secularists, etc. That much should be obvious by now.

Looking at child porn was a lapse in judgement, definitely, but it's no more fair to label all pedophiles as bad people than it is to assume that all people of any other unchosen sexual preference are amoral.

Besides, it's not as if soceity actually gives pedophiles any healthy option to deal with their sexuality; do you think the image of pedophiles as pornographers and abusers being constantly spread by the media helps anyone?

[Ginzaman]

I was in San Francisco about 4 months ago and listened around to most of the stations. Aside from Bernie Ward's show and The Quake's progressive news, there's literally no other progressive voice on-air. The extreme between neocon/racist Ron Owen and their daytime lineup vs. Ward is beyond belief. I know that that's still a hot programming tactic: put the token liberal on at night so they can say, see, we're not so bad. We talk to everybody.

I really hope it's not true. Because if it is, who's going to fill that spot? Air America (a big part of the Quake's lineup) is neocon. NBC Universal advertises there. Meanwhile "progressive?" Rachel Madow sells out to be on Lou Dobbs and all the other neocon shows. She even put psycho Pat Buchanon on her show. Aren't people in San Francisco embarassed by crap like hers and Michael Savage's show?

[vkobaya]

Oh, come on! Bush is president, appointed the federal prosecutors who are out to get all the liberals, progressives and Democrats. It's pure bunk and a witchhunt to get Ward for being a leftist. Anyone who has listened to Ward knows this is bunk except for those on the right with their agenda of gaining power regardless of what crimes they have to do. I guess Ward should be glad that they didn't just put a bullet between his eyes or go after his family. Makes you wonder how many unsolved killings of activist leftists are hits by Bush appointees and buddies. Probably can tell by looking to see which ones the cops aren't bothering to try to solve.

[oogabooga]

My guess is that this is a frameup. This guy is very anti-Bush, anti-Neo-Con, antiwar, anti fundamentalist Christian. I've heard bible thumpers call him up and he wipes them out with his knowledge of the bible. He is a devout Catholic, and of course the bible-thumpers hate Catholics. I really doubt he is a child molestor. If this is a frame, then the next target will be Randi Rhodes, then Mike Malloy, etc. Silencing the opposition, just like with Plame.

[postedby]

NEWS FLASH:

A lefty pervert? I thought they were all repubs?

[sisyphus]

Sure, Bernie's just a local SF talk show host. But in his time slot, through the magic of radio wave behavior after dark, KGO reaches most of the state and into Nevada.

Is it a coincidence that he was indicted at this moment, when we're facing the ballot proposition that would split California's electoral college votes, and probably result in a loss of about 20 of California's Democratic electoral college votes in the next presidential election (~Ohio-sized loss)?

Bernie has been one of the most vocal opponents of this "dirty trick" proposition, whose proponents claim that it would make the election more fair, while in fact, in the absence of all states shifting to this method, it's not fair at all.

So, the major Republican hope for keeping the White House may be California's godforsaken proposition, and Bernie was its most vocal opponent: does anyone see a connection here? I smell a rat.

[scorchedearthrepug]

First off I just don't believe he is guilty.
Why no mention of the fact he is a total lefty... is it only big news if a right winger F..s up because they would have big audiences unlike bernie

[realitytrumpsbull]

My question is, how many vice cops run porn sites? Hmmm...of course if you look at the
whole 'adult entertainment' industry, you gotta
wonder how many of those guys hold stock in
Hustler publications and the rest of it...
they already had one revelation, not about this
but similar, where the cops were selling guns
AND dope out the back door of the police
station, basically, in Virginia, I think.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/weekinreview/02kershaw.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-entrapment.htm
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/12/robin13.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=TIFjwYDagiUC&pg=RA4-PA84&lpg=RA4-PA84&dq=pornography+entrapment&source=web&ots=hSnrJWvLv4&sig=iMo4wNy_7fnWnzjmGCGCAf-yGPY
http://www.safefamilies.org/media.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_Internet_pornography
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/071019braintree.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_pornography

In other cybercrime news, in Germany they
just went after some kid's dad in court because
the kid downloaded music with a file-sharing
program...­is there...pe­rhaps...an ex-wife in
the picture above? Hmmmm.....­like, a FAT
ex-wife/girlfriend with a vindictive streak
and friends at the P.D.? Hmmmm....d­idn't get
the job she wanted? Who knows, what evil lurks...

[stemcellgum]

Bernie's a good guy.

He's a father of three or four kids. Has a good marriage to a doctor. Respected member of the San Francisco community for most of his life.

Over the last 20 years, he has spearheaded the KGO Radio Thanksgiving Charities, a 100% charity where a few million dollars has been spread between for worthy Bay Area causes.

At this point, I tend to believe his claim in an "error in judgement".

I'm skeptical of charges that take three years to materialize.